Improvisation Starters

Make your own music at the piano

Start with black keys only

1. Tick-tock bass LH: on F# (tonic) and C# (dominant) – march rhythm; RH: Starting and ending on F#, play patterns on any black keys
2. Bagpipe bass  LH: open fifths on F# and C#; RH: pentatonic (all 5 black keys) patterns in 6/8 rhythm
3. Scottish harmonic pattern (I – vi – ii – V) LH: single note roots or open fifths; RH: pick out melodies by ear: Amazing Grace, Loch Lomond, and Auld Lang Syne

White keys only

1. “Heart and Soul” bass LH or duet partner: variations on chord pattern: I – vi – IV – V; RH or duet partner: variations on “Heart and Soul”
2. Chopsticks ABA and variations
3. Dorian Doodles LH: open fifths D/A and C/G; RH: improvise patterns on any white keys, centering on D and A
4. New Age LH: Scottish harmonic pattern with widely-spaced arpeggiated chords (Root, 5^th, 3^rd); RH: 6ths and 3rds

Black and white keys

1. Twelve-bar Blues LH: minor chords in 12-measure pattern CCCC FFCC GFCC; RH: blues scale patterns on C, F, and G to match LH harmonic pattern
2. Twelve-bar Boogie LH: boogie patterns following 12-bar harmonic pattern above; RH: seventh chords based on 12-bar harmonic pattern
3. Whole tone scales LH: augmented triads (C/E/G# and Db/F/A); RH: improvise patterns using whole tone scale (E, F#, G#, A#, C, D)
4. Chromatic improv LH: diminished sevenths (C/Eb/Gb/Bbb and C#/E/G/Bb); RH: fragments of chromatic scales
5. Ostinatos. In one hand, create a simple pattern to be repeated over and over; In the other hand, use your imagination.

Experiment with different dynamics, touches, and registers on the keyboard to make your improvisations exciting. Please comment if confused.